Monthly Archive: June 2016

There is more to Sri Lanka than sun, sea and sand, spectacular scenery, cultural history and mystery, eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and more species of wildlife than you can shake a stick at. But you need to know where to look—and ARTRA is a good place to start.

They call it the sport of kings, and horse racing at Sri Lanka’s Royal Turf Club (RTC) in Nuwara Eliya is no exception. Moreover, with its excitement, glitter and fantastic sporting spectacle, it is also a major tourist attraction.

As we all know, Sri Lanka’s spicy and hugely varied cuisine takes some beating. In fact, according to the Helen in Wonderlust blog, “Sri Lankan food is some of the best I’ve had anywhere in the world”. She writes: “I pretty much ate my way around the country, trying anything and everything so I could report back on my findings (the things I do for you guys) from local street food places to higher end restaurants”.

It is totally appropriate that the über-high-end Destinations of the World News magazine and website is based in Dubai, where nothing succeeds like excess. But amidst the conspicuous over-consumption and exuberant extravagance—check out Spend It—the mag’s cosmopolitan voice provides a refreshingly readable counterpoint.

An adventurous British photographer had “an amazing, incredible experience” of Sri Lanka during a trip-of-a lifetime photographing our wildlife. The Bolton News in the north of England reports that Brian White spent six weeks trekking through the island’s rainforests to snap birds, leopards, snakes and elephants.

An international-standard star ranking system for Sri Lankan hotels has been launched by government tourism officials, with enforcement backed by tough new penalties. The FT newspaper reports Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Director General Malraj Kiriella as insisting “the mechanism was essential to ensure high industry standards in the future”.

A new brand of Ceylon tea is featured on The Dieline, “the most visited website on package design in the world, capturing a readership spanning millions across hundreds of countries”. The brew, Single Estate, is a new limited-edition collection launched by Jaf Tea, “widely known all over the world for superior quality and outstanding taste”.